Golf club

ABSTRACT

A novel construction for a golf club is described. The club head is cylindrical in shape and of circular cross-section, the curved wall of the cylinder being used as the ball striking surface. Manually replaceable weight assemblies are releasably secured in each end of the cylindrical head, the respective weight assemblies being selectable to provide the desired balance and feel for the player. The shaft is connected to the head by a malleable neck portion which can be bent by the player to provide the desired angle of the shaft to the head to suit his stance. The diameter of the club head is such as to result in the application of overspin to the ball when struck and its length is approximately equal to the diameter of the cup. The club is especially suited for use as a putter, although it can be used with facility for chipping from longer grass surrounding the greens.

United States Patent Piszel Sept. 30, 1975 [54] GOLF CLUB FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 1 lm'ehtoh Gela Pislel, 300 Washington 194.8233 1923 United Kingdom... 273/171 A R th 07070 346,671 4 1931 UnitedKingdom.... 273/171 713,954 7/1965 Canada 273/167 C [221 1974 14,1696/1898 United Kingdom 273 167 c [21] App]. No.: 433,528 1.008972 ll/l965United Kingdom 273/167 C Primary Examiner-Richard J. Apley [52] US. Cl.273/ 171; 273/80.1; 273/80.5; Attorney, Agent, or Firm Brumbaugh Graves,

273/164; 273/175 Donohue & Raymond [51] Int. Cl. A63B 53/04; A63B 53/02[58] Field ofSearch 273/67 R, 67 C, 80 C, 57 ABSTRACT A novelconstruction for a golf club is described. The club head is cylindricalin shape and of circular cross- [56] References Cited section, thecurved wall of the cylinder being used as the ball str1kmg surface.Manually replaceable weight UNITED STATES PATENTS assemblies arereleasably secured in each end of the l,l 16,022 l Cornwall Ccylindrical head the respective weight assemblies 15167387 V1916 Dame]7273/17] being selectable to pr ovide the desired balance and 1.177.2263/3; l i

feel for the player. The shaft is connected to the head $3409 4 I er bya malleable neck portion which can be bent by the ...l98,98l 4/1940Sull1van 273/171 2 686 056 8/1954 Oquist 273/167 F ux Player to Provldethe deslred angle of the Shah the 2:737:216 3/1956 Kenerson 273 78 ux hShh his h The dlhmfiter of the h head 3,143,349 8/1964 Maclntyre...273/171 [8 such as to result in the application of overspin to the3.191.936 6/1965 Guier 273/80.2 ball when struck and its length isapproximately equal 3.226.120 12/1 65 B rah 273/78 X to the diameter ofthe cup. The club is especially 1 suited for use as a putter although itcan be used 3,466,047 9/1969 Rodia et al. 273/171 facility for chippingfrom longer grass Surrounding the 3.472.512 10/1969 Berry 273/83 greens;3.759.527 9/1973 Witherspoon.. 273/80.2 X D2l8,108 7/1970 3 Claims, 4Drawing Figures Wegener 273/164 UX US. Patent Se t. 30,1975 3,909,005

GOLF CLUB The present invention relates to golf clubs, and moreparticularly to a club having a cylindrical head especially suited forputting on the greens surface.

Of the many different purpose golf clubs available to the player, nonehas been the subject of more varied design that the club used forachieving the ultimate goal of the player, rolling the ball into the cupalong the surface of the green. Many forms of putters have been devised,each of which is claimed to provide specific advantages to a player, butone form of club head, to date, has been the subject of only verylimited and thus far unsuccessful attention by golf club designers.

No golf club having a cylindrical head is known by the present inventorto be now commercially available, although such a club head from time totime has been broadly suggested in the prior art. For example, BritishPat. No. 14,169, dated 1968, shows a putter having a cylindrical head,and US. Pat. Nos. 2,665,909 to Wilson and Design patent No. Des. 156,963to Johnson also disclose putters having cylindrical heads. However,although the general concept of a cylindrical head putter has been knownin the prior art for some years, no one heretofore has been able toproduce a commercially practical and acceptable putter having that form.

The golf club of the present invention employs a cylindrical club headin conjunction with a novel construction which renders the overall clubeminently suitable for play and capable of being fitted to suit theindividual players specific requirements. By employing replaceable, andvariable, weight assemblies in both the heel and toe of the club head,the balance can be adjusted to fit the player. Moreover, the angle ofthe shaft with respect to the club head may be set to provide the liedesired by the player. Both of these settings may be readily made by theplayer himself, without special tools, and in such a manner that oncemade, they will not change during play, but may be again altered if theplayer so desired. These features result in a golf club presentingsuperior playing characteristics and susceptible of manufacture in acommercially practical manner. Moreover, the golf club of the presentinvention meets the specifications of the United States GolfAssociation.

Briefly, in accordance with the invention, the club head is formed of atubular section, preferably of a metal, although plastic may also besued, to which the shaft is connected by means of a malleable rod orneck. The latter is secured at one end to receiving means within thecylindrical club head and at the other end to the conventional clubshaft. Weight assemblies are provided, one for each end of the tubularhead member, which can be inserted into the open ends and retainedtherein by frictional and/or vacuum forces. .With each club, thepurchaser obtains a series of different weights assemblies to enable himto experiment and select the proper values for the heel and toe of theclub. In addition to serving the function of weighting the club, theparticular construction of the weight assemblies employed provide, onthe club head itself, a pair of parallel sight guide lines whichfacilitate the lining up of a putt with the cup.

The malleable rod connecting the club shaft to the head provides adegree of variance in the angle therebetween which may be changed tosuit the players requirement by the application of manual forces. By

grasping the club in a prescribed manner, the player, with his ownstrength augmented by leverage provided by the club head and shaft, isable to bend the malleable rod within a range so as to achieve thedesired angle. During use howeventhe forces applied to the club areinsufficient to bend the rod and accordingly, the manually preset angleis retained.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the golf club of the invention with the shaftbroken to conserve space;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevation of the club of FIG. 1 along thelines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2, partially broken awayand exploded to show the internal construction of the golf club of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the manner in which the club isemployed.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicatesthe head of the golf club of the invention and the numeral 12 designatesthe shaft. As illustrated, the head 10 is cylindrical in shape with acircular cross-section and the shaft 12 is joined thereto at a pointintermediate the two ends of the head. The shaft may be of conventionalconstruction including a hollow member 14 which may be stepped or smoothand a grip portion 16, such as of rubber or leather. A ferrule 18enclosed the junction ofthe shaft 14 with the head 10.

As will be explained in detail below, weight assemblies of plug form 40are retained at each end of the club head 10 and when inserted, leave areadily distinguishable rim about each end of the club head.

The novelconstruction of the present invention is evident from FIG. 3.The club head 10 is formed basically of a tubular member 22, preferablyformed of a metal such as steel or aluminum, although suitable plasticsmay be used, and having a circular cross-section. Approximately midwayalong its length, a metallic plug 24 is firmly retained within themember 22, such as by force fitting. A bore, whose axis is in-thediametral plane of the member 22, extends through one wall of thetubular member 22, the plug 24 and partway into the opposite wall of themember 22, generally transverse to the axis of thetubular member, but atan angle thereto approximating an average angle between shaft and head.

The hollow shaft member 14 is coupled to the club head 10 by means of arod 26, formed of a material which is malleable, but of sufficientstrength to withstand the rigors of golf play. Such a material may, forexample, be malleable iron, brass, etc.

The lower end of the rod 26 is received within the transverse bore inthe plug 24 and secured therein by means of a pin 28. Preferably, theend of the rod 26 is cut at an angle so as to be snugly received in thebore end of the bottom wall of the tubularmember 22, thereby impartingincreased rigidity to the assembly. As seen in-FIG. 3, the juncture ofthe rod 26 and the club head is substantially at the mid-point of thelatter, thereby balancing the head relative to the shaft.

The upper end of therod 26 is snugly received within the hollow shaftmember 14 and rigidly secured thereto against both axial and rotationalmotion by one or more revets 30. A plastic collar 32 is snugly fittedaround the rod 26 and contoured to fit closely about the upper surfaceof the cylindrical member 22 at the point where the rod 26 passestherethrough. The collar 32 may be retained in position by friction orif necessary may be cemented to the rod 26 to hold it firmly against theouter surface of the member 22.

The outer surface of the collar 32 is slightly rounded to provide aslidable bearing surface for the internal surface of the plastic ferrule18. As seen in FIG. 3, the lower end of the ferrule 18 is capable ofsliding on the outer surface of the collar 32 as the angle of the shaftis changed with respect to the club head, in the manner to be describedhereinafter.

The weight assemblies 40, one of which is inserted into each end of thecylindrical member 22 are shown in detail in FIG. 3. At the lefthand endof the member 22 as seen in that Figure, the weight assembly 40 is shownin inserted position wherein it is retained by friction and vacuumforces within the tubular member. At the righthand end of the member 22,the weight assembly 40 is shown in exploded view to illustrate itsconstruction. 'As seen therein, the weight assembly is composed of afirst cup-shaped member 42 having generally tapered sidewalls and aradially extending flange 42a around its open end. A weight 44, whichmay be of lead or other heavy material and in the form 'of a disc orwasher, is inserted within the member 42. The weight 44 has an outerdiameter such as to be frictionally retained within the member 42 nearits bottom. To close up the open end of the first cup-shaped member 42,and to insure retention of the weight 44 within it, a second plasticcup-shaped member 46 is provided having an outer diameter such that itis snugly engaged within the first cup-shaped member and retainedtherein by friction and vacuum. The axial length of the secondcup-shaped member 46 is such that it may be inserted within the member42 until its closed end is substantially flush with the end of theradial flange 42a of the cup-shaped member.

The radial flange 42a extending peripherally around the open end of themember 42 has a radial dimension substantially equal to the wallthickness of the tubular member 22 so that when the weight assembly 40is inserted, it forms a smooth extension of the outer surface of tubularmember 22.

To aid in the retention of the weight assemblies 40 in the ends of thetubular member 22, plugs of a plastic foam material 38 are insertedwithin the tubular member on either side of the metallic anchor plug 24prior to insertion of the weights. As shown at the righthand side ofFIG. 3, in its uncompressed state, the foam plug 38 occupies asubstantial portion of the hollow space within the tubular member. Uponinsertion of the weight assembly 40, the foam is compressed; see thelefthand side of the club head in FIG. 3. It has been found that uponcompression of the foam during insertion of the weight assemblies,additional retentive forces are applied to the weight assemblies tofurther resist accidental dislodgement. It is believed that these forcesare generated as a result of a vacuum effect created upon compression ofthe foam material.

Turning again to FIG. 1, in its completed form, the outer surface of theclub head is generally smooth and devoid of knurling of any othersurface configuration. Moreover, it is preferably of a light color, suchas a metallic grey, to provide a sharp contrast with the dark color,e.g., black, of the material of the flanges of the weights 40. Thesecontrasting colors provide a pair of parallel guidelines which enable aplayer to more accurately line up his putt with the cup. This isillustrated in FIG. 4 wherein the club head 10 is shown as viewed fromthe position of the player. According to the invention, the overalllength of the club head 10 is made substantially equal to the standarddiameter of the cup 60, i.e., 3 inches, and thus the contrasting rims atthe end of the club head enable the player to establish visual sightlines (illustrated by' dotted lines in FIG. 4) between the ends of theclub and the outer edges of the cup. This is in contrast to the usualsight lines provided on existing putters which require the player toline up the club with the center of the cup which is'not clearlydeterminable, especially with the pin removed.

Further, according to the invention, the diameter of the club head ismade approximately 1 inches, somewhat smaller than the standard diameterof a golf ball. In use, it has been found that the club head imparts tothe stroked ball 50 an overspin which serves to add more distance andmaintain a truer path of the ball in the direction initially imparted toit. This also reduces any tendency of the ball to lift up in the air andthus bounce off its intended path. The precise reason for this overspinis not completely understood but it is believed that it is the result ofthe fact that contact between the cylindrical outer surface of the cluband the spherical surface of the ball occurs at a point on the ballwhich is always at or above its center. This is in sharp contrast withconventional flat surfaced putters in which the tendency is for theblade to strike the ball below its center and thus cause it to skidbefore beginning to spin, as well as to lift it and/or provide abackspin to the ball.

In addition to its utility as a putter, the club has been found to beadmirably suited for short chip shots from the longer grasses thatfringe golf green. The overspin imparted to the ball enables to cutthrough the longer grasses with less tendency to deviate from thedirection imparted to it.

The present inventor has found that by properly selecting the toe andheel weight assemblies of the club head, a number of putting problemswhich plague golf players can be alleviated. For example, if thetendency is to pull the putting stroke, more weight should be insertedin the heel of the putter than in the toe. Conversely, if the problem ispushing, the toe should be weighted heavier than the heel. The amount ofcompensation of course will depend upon the extent of the problem of theindividual player, but because of the unique club and weightconstruction, it it is a simple matter for the player to keepexperimenting with the weight assemblies until the proper combination isachieved.

Another customizing feature of the present invention is the ability toset the angle of the shaft with respect to the club head. As indicatedabove, the rod member 26 is of a malleable material and when properlyhandled, can provide a range of settings that will satisfy most players.While it would be virtually impossible for the ordinary person to bendthe rod 26 manually before assembly into the golf club, when assembled,the leverage provided by the shaft and the club head enables this to beachieved. To accomplish this, the shaft is retained under the arm of theuser and the ends of the club head grasped in both hands. Pressureexerted by the hands on the club head will then be sufficient to impartthe necessary bend in the rod member 26 to create the desired angle.This feature is illustrated in dotted line in FIG. 3.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes in thestructure disclosed will occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and the latter is to belimited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A golf club having a shaft and a head, the head comprising a tubularmember having a smooth outer ballcontacting surface,

a pair of manually removable weight assemblies, one of said weightassemblies being releasably secured within each end of said tubularmember, each of said weight assemblies comprising a first cup-shapedelement of resilient material having a radial flange extending about theperiphery of its open end, the outer diameter of said first cupshapedelement being such as to securely retain the weight assembly within saidtubular member with the end of the latter abutting the radial flange onsaid cup-shaped member, and the outer diameter of said radial flangebeing substantially the same as the outer diameter of said tubularmember,

a weight member of preselected weight securely retained within the firstcup-shaped element adjacent its closed end, and

a second cup-shaped element having an outer diameter such as to besecurely retained within said first cup-shaped element and a length suchthat when inserted in said first cup-shaped element its closed end issubstantially flush with the open end of said first cup-shaped element,

and means connecting said shaft to said tubular member intermediate itsends.

2. The golf club according to claim 1 wherein said means connecting saidshaft to said tubular member includes a rod member bendable, whenassembled in the golf club, by application of manual forces as augmentedby the leverage provided by the club head and shaft, whereby a playercan set the angle between the shaft and head to a desired value byproper application of manual forces but said angle will not change undernormal conditions of use.

3. The golf club according to claim 1 wherein the radial flanges on theweight assemblies in the respective ends of said club head have axiallengths short with respect to the axial length of the tubular member andare of a color that contrasts sharply with the color of said tubularmember, thereby presenting to the eye of the player when in use a pairof easily distinguishable spaced parallel markers.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPATENT NO. 2 3,909,005

. DATED September 30, 1975 INV ENTOR(S) GEZA A. PISZEL It is certifiedthat error appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

0 Col. 1, line 19, "1968" should read 1898;

line 40, "desired" should read -desires; 'line 48, "sued" should read--used--;

line 56, "weights" should read -weight;

Col. 2, line 32, "enclosed" should read encloses--; Q line 62, "of"(first occurrence) should read -in;

C01. 3, line 2, "revets" should read --rivets-;

line 66, "of" (second occurrence) should read or-;

K Col. 4, line 10, "3 2/3" should read 3 7/8;

D line 39, "green" should read -greens--;

line 40, after "enables" insert -it-;

line 45, before "putting" insert -the--; and line 53, 'it it" shouldread it.

i Signed and Scaled thls 5 third Day of February 1976 [SEAL] AltSI. f

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting ()ffit r Commissionernj'Patents and Trademarks UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICECERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 2 3,909,005 DATED September 30,1975 lNV ENTOR(S) GEZA A. PISZEL It is certified that error appears inthe above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 19, "1968" should read --l898;

line 40, "desired" should read -desires-; 'line 48, "sued" should readused-;

line 56, "weights" should read --weight--;

Col. 2, line 32, "enclosed" should read encloses-;

line 62, "of" (first occurrence) should read -in;

C01. 3, line 2, "revets" should read -rivets--;

line 66, "of". (second occurrence) should read -or;

Col. 4, line 10, "3 2/3" should read 3 7/8-;

line 39, "green" should read -greens-;

line 40, after "enables" insert it-; 1 line 45, before "putting" insert-the-; and

line 53, "it it" should read --it-.

Signed and Scaled this third Day of February 1976 [SEAL] A ttest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner of Patentsand Trademarks

1. A golf club having a shaft and a head, the head comprising a tubularmember having a smooth outer ball-contacting surface, a pair of manuallyremovable weight assemblies, one of said weight assemblies beingreleasably secured within each end of said tubular member, each of saidweight assemblies comprising a first cup-shaped element of resilientmaterial having a radial flange extending about the periphery of itsopen end, the outer diameter of said first cup-shaped element being suchas to securely retain the weight assembly within said tubular memberwith the end of the latter abutting the radial flange on said cup-shapedmember, and the outer diameter of said radial flange being substantiallythe same as the outer diameter of said tubular member, a weight memberof preselected weight securely retained within the first cup-shapedelement adjacent its closed end, and a second cup-shaped element havingan outer diameter such as to be securely retained within said firstcup-shaped element and a length such that when inserted in said firstcup-shaped element its closed end is substantially flush with the openend of said first cup-shaped element, and means connecting said shaft tosaid tubular member intermediate its ends.
 2. The golf club according toclaim 1 wherein said means connecting said shaft to said tubular memberincludes a rod member bendable, when assembled in the golf club, byapplication of manual forces as augmented by the leverage provided bythe club head and shaft, whereby a player can set the angle between theshaft and head to a desired value by proper application of manual forcesbut said angle will not change under normal conditions of use.
 3. Thegolf club according to claim 1 wherein the radial flanges on the weightassemblies in the respective ends of said club head have axial lengthsshort with respect to the axial length of the tubular member and are ofa color that contrasts sharply with the color of said tubular member,thereby presenting to the eye of the player when in use a pair of easilydistinguishable spaced parallel markers.